US20190301838A1

US20190301838A1 - Protective Table/Desk

Info

Publication number: US20190301838A1
Application number: US16/365,789
Authority: US
Inventors: John Birdsell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-03-28
Filing date: 2019-03-27
Publication date: 2019-10-03

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a table for use by at least one person in protection from attackers/aggressors and more particularly protection from an active shooter's bullets or other lethal projectiles.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This invention relates to a table for use in protection from attackers/aggressors and more particularly protection from an active shooter's bullets.

BACKGROUND

With attacks by terrorists and active shooters on the rise, it is highly desirable to have some convenient form of temporary ballistic protection behind which students, employees and others can safely shelter. One of the main threats today consists of one or more active shooters that enter schools, business areas, or other public areas and simply spray bullets indiscriminately with the intent to kill or seriously injure as many people as possible in a short time. At present, the standard operating procedure during an active shooter incident is to lock down and “shelter in place”, lying on the ground as quietly and as flat as possible so as to not attract attention or to appear to be dead. The AR-15 and other ‘assault rifles’ have frequently been used by active shooters. Standard ‘assault rifle’ projectiles travel at 2700-3100 feet per second and can easily penetrate standard walls, desks, tables, chairs, file cabinets and even double-sided steel doors. This makes the current strategy of “Sheltering” in place an extremely dangerous and reckless practice unless some highly effective form of ballistic shelter is provided, behind which individuals can shelter. A desk that is comprised of material that is rated to stop multiple full metal jacket rounds from various “Assault Rifles” (e.g. AR-15, M-16, AK-47, M1A, M4, M14, etc.) as well as stopping multiple rounds from less powerful weapons such as hand guns, sub machine guns, shot guns etc is desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure is summarized below only for purposes of introducing embodiments of the disclosure. The ultimate scope of the disclosure is to be limited only to the claims that follow the specification.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ballistic protective table behind which students or employees can safely shelter in place from virtually all types of pistol, assault rifle and submachine gun rounds.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved protective table that can easily be turned-on-edge to serve as a highly effective, temporary, movable ballistic barrier.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved protective table that is relatively inexpensive and can be used for school, work or other every-day activities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of a protective table according to the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the protective table of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the protective table of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the protective table of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, and for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are provided to thoroughly understand the various aspects of the invention. It will be understood, however, by those skilled in the relevant arts, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, known structures and devices are shown or discussed more generally in order to avoid obscuring the invention. In many cases, a description of the operation is sufficient to enable one to implement the various forms of the invention, particularly when the operation is to be implemented in software. It should be noted that there are many different and alternative configurations, devices and technologies to which the disclosed embodiments may be applied. The full scope of the inventions is not limited to the examples that are described below.
Turning now to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is directed to FIGS. 1-3 which illustrate a protective table generally designated 10. Protective table 10 includes a top 12 and four or more legs 14. Handles 16 are attached to the underside of top 12 to be convenient for quickly grasping but not in the way for normal every-day activities. Table top 12 is constructed of material that will effectively stop bullets, projectiles and the like, which are directed against it. Also, the entire table is constructed light enough to be movable and easily and quickly turned on edge by one or more individuals when a crisis or threat evolves.
In a preferred embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 4, table top 12 includes ArmorCore®, a bullet resistant fiberglass manufactured by Waco composites. ArmorCore panels are manufactured in eight levels with level 8 being the strongest and the material preferred in this application. Level 8. ArmorCore panels can stop virtually all standard pistol, submachine gun and assault rifle rounds, including 0.357 magnum, 0.44 magnum, Uzi submachine gun, Thomson submachine gun, AK-47, AR-15, and 0.308 rifle rounds. In the preferred embodiment, table top 12 is approximately 3 foot by 3 foot in area and approximately 1 and ⅞ inches thick. Further, in the preferred embodiment the table is coated with multiple layers of a very durable material 18 to seal the fiberglass material and protect users from fiberglass fibers of the ArmorCore panel, e.g. Tuff Coat. Tuff Coat coatings are water-based, single-component products, created through a unique process of cross-linking urethane, acrylics, and co-polymers, and utilizing recycled rubber crumb as an aggregate. This results in a very sturdy, durable bullet resistant table top that weighs approximately 135 pounds. Generally, because of the weight, table legs 14 will be formed of steel or the like which will provide sufficient support under normal use or circumstances. Table legs 14 are preferably constructed from 2.5″ I.D. Schedule 40 Steel Pipe with a 6″×6″ square plate made of ¼″ thick steel welded to the top of each leg. These steel plates are each drilled with four holes to accommodate ⅜″ steel carriage bolts, with which the leg is securely attached to the table. The bottom of the legs has a steel cap welded onto them or some other type of cap, or rollers to allow table to slide (or roll) and be moved across a floor without catching or digging into the floor.
It will be understood that the preferred embodiment is simply one example included to illustrate a convenient size and type of material. In actual use table 10 can be constructed of any material capable of resisting or stopping pistol and rifle bullets and the like, some examples of which might include steel, titanium, or other metals, ceramics, shear-thickening fluid, magnetorheological fluid, multiple layers of various materials so constructed as to form a bullet resistant composite, etc. Also, the area and weight of the top can vary depending upon the individuals it is intended to protect. That is, in a business where only adults are working, a somewhat heavier/larger table might be desirable. Also, while it is desirable to have the table as light as possible for easy and quick overturning, some decorative or utility features might be added. Also, while two handles 16 are illustrated, it will be understood that anywhere from one to several might be included, although two handles are almost always required to insure a well-controlled turning-over of the table onto its side. The number and positioning of the handles will generally depend upon the individuals the table is intended to protect. For example, adults might be able to handle a larger table then school children, even if several school children cooperate in the process.
In operation, when an active shooter appears on the scene, one or more of the individuals the table is intended to protect, grasp handles 16 and quickly position the table and turn table 10 on its side or edge. Preferably, legs 14 are pointed toward the threat, e.g. the door or entrance to the room, which must be securely blocked to bar access by the active shooter. While the shooter can easily shoot through standard doors and walls, as long as shooter is prevented from entering the room, students or employees can safely shelter behind protective table 10 with their backs to the table, several students deep by two students abreast (in the preferred example). Ideally, there would be three tables 10 per classroom which could be lined up next to each other and behind which 25-30 students could seek effective shelter from an active shooter. When the emergency is over, handles 16 are grasped and table 10 is returned to its normal upright position.
Thus, a protective table is disclosed that includes a top which is effectively pistol and rifle bullet proof (bullet resistant) and which can be quickly and easily turned on its side to provide an effective protective shield from bullets and the like for a group of individuals. In normal circumstances, the protective table is used as a standard table/desk for classroom, work or other every-day activities.
Various changes and modifications to the embodiments herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art. To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for shielding persons from bullets and high-speed projectiles comprising:

A. a table comprising:

i. a table top comprising a top surface and a bottom surface;

ii. at least one handle coupled to the bottom surface;

iii. a plurality of legs coupled to, and extending perpendicularly downward from the bottom surface;

iv. the table top further comprising at least one layer of bullet-resistant material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one layer of bullet resistant material is comprised of at least one of the following materials: fiberglass; steel; titanium; ceramic; shear-thickening fluid; or magnetorheological fluid.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bullet-resistant material is comprised of Armorcore® material.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bullet-resistant material is coated with at least one layer of durable material.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the durable material comprises at least one layer of Tuff Coat® material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one handle is configured for gripping by human hands.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of legs are comprised of steel.